Apparatus for tile leveling and spacing

ABSTRACT

A leveling spacer may include a base, a connecting piece having a breakage portion, a threaded shaft and a pressure applicator. In one embodiment, the breakage portion of the connecting piece is disposed at right angles to the base, and the other end thereof is connected with the threaded shaft. The pressure applicator is configured to engage and remove the threaded shaft, and more specifically, the pressure applicator may include a female threaded chamber to correspondingly engage with the threaded shaft. When the pressure applicator is rotated down the shaft, it can also apply pressure to level and immobilize the substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/758,860, filed on Nov. 12,2018, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a leveling spacer for tiles, and moreparticularly to an apparatus that ensures that all tiles used in aninstallation will be properly spaced apart from one another and levelwith one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tile has become a popular decorative and functional article for use infloors, walls, countertops, and the like. Both professional tileinstallers and do-it-yourselfers spend a great deal of time aligning andleveling tiles as the tiles are being placed on a substrate's surface.Positioning a large plurality of tiles on a floor in such a way that allof the tiles are properly aligned and spaced apart from one another andlevel relative to one another when the job is complete is a difficulttask. Spacing the tiles apart from one another is problematic, and mostinstallers just align and space the tiles as best they can by relyingupon the well-known “eyeballing” technique.

Laying and leveling tile can be difficult because many substrates areuneven, such as the ground substrate when laying tile for an outdoorpatio. In this case, it can be difficult to raise the low areas of thesubstrate with mortar or other objects so that all the tiles are level.Further, tiles can shift and sink into mortar as the mortar dries. Ithas traditionally been necessary to continually monitor newly laid tilesas the mortar dries to ensure that the tiles remain level. Tileinstallers have used a variety of devices and methods to maintainquality the installation while completing the installation process asfast as possible. One basic method uses markings on the substratesurface. Marking the installation surface requires the mortar to becarefully applied such that the marks remain visible. Although thistechnique aids in the alignment of the tiles, it does not keep the tileslevel as they are laid in the mortar. Further, the use of this markingtechnique increases the amount of time required for the installationwhich results in increased cost.

Proper alignment and leveling of each tile is important for a number ofreasons. One reason is that if one tile is improperly placed, the errorwill accumulate and continue in adjacent tiles such that theinstallation will be unacceptable and the tiles will have to be replacedand/or ground and polished until the tiles are level or flat. Inaddition to aesthetic reasons for properly laying tile, a level surfaceis essential in tile floors so that people do not trip and fall onunevenly laid tiles. Replacing or otherwise correcting errors in tileinstallation takes time that adds to the total cost of the tileinstallation. Therefore, there remains a need for a new and improvedleveling spacer that has a simple structure and easy to use to overcomethe problems stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a leveling spacerthat is easy and intuitive to use both in the step of assembly for theimmobilization of the tiles, and in the step of removal for thesubsequent filling of the gaps.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a levelingspacer that can be used without subjecting the tiles to an unwantedlateral thrust that risks affecting the correct positioning thereof.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a levelingspacer which can be used simply by manually screwing the pressureapplicator on the threaded stem.

In one aspect, a leveling spacer may include a base, a connecting piecehaving a breakage portion, a threaded shaft and a pressure applicator.In one embodiment, the breakage portion of the connecting piece isdisposed at right angles to the base, and the other end thereof isconnected with the threaded shaft. The pressure applicator is configuredto engage and remove the threaded shaft, and more specifically, thepressure applicator may include a female threaded chamber tocorrespondingly engage with the threaded shaft to allow easy and quickinsertion or removal of the pressure applicator. It is noted that thebreakage portion can be relatively weaker with reduced thickness forinstance, so it is breakable following an external force of a minorextent.

In one embodiment, the pressure applicator can be made by Nylon andglass fiber, and is configured to engage with and rotate on the threadedshaft to apply pressure to immobilize and level different types ofsubstrate surfaces including, but not limited to porcelain, ceramics andnature stone. In another embodiment, the pressure applicator 140 can bemade by pure plastic materials.

When in use, one or more leveling spacers can be arranged below thetiles (not shown) through the base. The pressure applicator can then bedisposed on each leveling spacer, and engage with the threaded shaftwith the female threaded chamber, so the pressure applicator can rotateon the threaded shaft to apply pressure to immobilize and level thetiles.

The pressure applicator can be further rotated on the threaded shaft inthe same direction to remove the threaded shaft from the base. Morespecifically, as discussed above, the breakage portion is relativelyweaker, so the force of continuing to rotate the pressure applicator onthe threaded shaft would likely cause the breakage of the connectingpiece from the breakage portion. Namely, the threaded shaft along withthe connecting piece can be both removed from the base.

In one embodiment, the pressure applicator may further include a guidingchannel that can be used after the removal of the connecting piece andthe threaded shaft. More specifically, the guiding channel can be usedto guide different types of connecting pieces out of the pressureapplicator after the removal process. It is noted that after the removalof the connecting piece and the threaded shaft out from the pressureapplicator, the pressure applicator should be reusable.

In another embodiment, the threaded shaft may have a top edge that has apredetermined angle to allow the pressure applicator to easily insertand remove from the shaft. The pressure applicator may have a guidingsurface that is configured to guide the top edge into the femalethreaded chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the leveling spacer in the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of the leveling spacer in thepresent invention when the pressure applicator rotates down.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the leveling spacer in thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view after the connecting piece and the threadedshaft are removed from the base in the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates different types of connecting pieces in the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofthe presently exemplary device provided in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms inwhich the present invention may be prepared or utilized. It is to beunderstood, rather, that the same or equivalent functions and componentsmay be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended tobe encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devicesand materials similar or equivalent to those described can be used inthe practice or testing of the invention, the exemplary methods, devicesand materials are now described.

All publications mentioned are incorporated by reference for the purposeof describing and disclosing, for example, the designs and methodologiesthat are described in the publications that might be used in connectionwith the presently described invention. The publications listed ordiscussed above, below and throughout the text are provided solely fortheir disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application.Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors arenot entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes reference to the pluralunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in thedescription herein and throughout the claims that follow, the terms“comprise or comprising”, “include or including”, “have or having”,“contain or containing” and the like are to be understood to beopen-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. As used in thedescription herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of“in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another. For example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of the embodiments. As usedherein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one ormore of the associated listed items.

In one aspect, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a leveling spacer 100 mayinclude a base 110, a connecting piece 120 having a breakage portion121, a threaded shaft 130, and a pressure applicator 140. In oneembodiment, the breakage portion 121 of the connecting piece 120 isdisposed at right angles to the base 110, and the other end thereof isconnected with the threaded shaft 130. The pressure applicator 140 isconfigured to engage and remove the threaded shaft 130, and morespecifically, the pressure applicator 140 may include a female threadedchamber 142 to correspondingly engage with the threaded shaft 130 toallow easy and quick insertion or removal of the pressure applicator140. It is noted that the breakage portion 121 can be relatively weakerwith reduced thickness for instance, so it is breakable following anexternal force of a minor extent.

In one embodiment, the pressure applicator 140 can be made by Nylon andglass fiber, and is configured to engage with and rotate on the threadedshaft 130 to apply pressure to immobilize and level different types ofsubstrate surfaces including, but not limited to porcelain, ceramics andnature stone. In another embodiment, the pressure applicator 140 can bemade by pure plastic materials.

When in use, one or more leveling spacers 100 can be arranged below thetiles (not shown) through the base 110. The pressure applicator 140 canthen be disposed on each leveling spacer 100 as shown in FIG. 1, andengage with the threaded shaft 130 with the female threaded chamber 142,so the pressure applicator 140 can rotate on the threaded shaft 130 toapply pressure to immobilize and level the tiles as shown in FIG. 2.

The pressure applicator 140 can be further rotated at the end of thethreaded shaft 130 in the same direction to remove the threaded shaft130 from the base 110. More specifically, as discussed above, thebreakage portion 121 is relatively weaker, so the external force ofcontinuing to rotate the pressure applicator 140 on the threaded shaft130 would likely cause the breakage of the connecting piece 120 from thebreakage portion 121. Namely, the threaded shaft 130 along with theconnecting piece 120 can be both removed from the base 110 as shown inFIG. 4.

In one embodiment, the pressure applicator 140 may further include oneor more guiding channels 141 that can be used after the removal of theconnecting piece 120 and the threaded shaft 130. More specifically, theguiding channels 141 can be used to guide different types of connectingpieces (X-shaped, T-shaped and standard as 120) as shown in FIG. 5 outof the pressure applicator 140 after the removal process. It is notedthat after the removal of the connecting piece 120 and the threadedshaft 130 out from the pressure applicator 140, the pressure applicator140 should be reusable.

In another embodiment, the threaded shaft 130 may have a top edge 131that has a predetermined angle to allow the pressure applicator 140 toeasily insert and remove from the shaft 130. The pressure applicator 140may have a guiding surface 143 that is configured to guide the top edge131 into the female threaded chamber 142.

Having described the invention by the description and illustrationsabove, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the inventionand are not to be considered as limiting. Accordingly, the invention isnot to be considered as limited by the foregoing description, butincludes any equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A leveling spacer comprising: a base to beinserted underneath one or more substrates; a connecting piece havingone end, which is a breakage portion, extending from the base at rightangle; a threaded shaft vertically connected to the other end of theconnecting piece; and a pressure applicator configured to engage withthe threaded shaft through a corresponding female threaded chamber torotate and apply pressure to level and immobilize the substrates;wherein the pressure applicator can be further rotated at the end of thethreaded shaft to provide an external force to cause the breakage of theconnecting piece on the base, so the connecting piece along with thethreaded shaft are removed from the leveling spacer.
 2. The levelingspacer of claim 1, wherein the pressure applicator includes one or moreguiding channels to guide different types of connecting pieces alongwith the threaded shafts out of the pressure applicator after beingremoved from the base.
 3. The leveling spacer of claim 1, whereinthreaded shaft includes a top edge having a predetermined angle to allowthe pressure applicator to easily insert and remove from the shaft, andthe pressure applicator has a guiding surface configured to guide thetop edge into the female threaded chamber.
 4. The leveling spacer ofclaim 2, wherein threaded shaft includes a top edge having apredetermined angle to allow the pressure applicator to easily insertand remove from the shaft, and the pressure applicator has a guidingsurface configured to guide the top edge into the female threadedchamber.
 5. The leveling spacer of claim 1, wherein the pressureapplicator is made of Nylon and glass fiber.